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Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Capricious Capri

Capri. The most clicked on Island in Italy.

Websites abound with passionate descriptions of picturesque alleys and piazzettas, churches and azure waters don’t they? So when you send two beautiful twenty year old Italian girls to Capri for a day trip, and you advise them where to go and what to see, you don’t expect them to return to Positano with a list of what not to do:

What not to do in a trip to Capri:

Don’t go to the ferry kiosk in Positano and ask for the resident ferry ticket fee to Capri of 15 Euros. Unless you can prove it in writing, you’ll need to fork out 30 Euros for the trip. If you are a tourist, be suitably outraged.

Don’t bring your beach gear and hope for a quick dip in the azure waters. Unless you go to the Marina Piccola on the other side of the island, you’ll have no chance of getting across the sea of bodies to the water’s edge.

Don’t expect to see the famous Piazzetta (Umberto 1) in Capri in one visit in the months from April to November. Unless you are walking on stilts, you will have a good view of the upper floors above the mass of tourists, but that is all.

Beware of any restaurant that hocks for trade.

Behind all the rigorously non-Italian waiters in Capri, is an owner who incites the employees to lure tourist groups in by literally saying ‘Pigliali pigliali!’ (pronounced Pee-lya-lee) in Italian dialect as they approach. What does it mean? ‘Grab them!’ A real tourist trap!

Don’t get excited when you see an illegal drug offered in a praline. If you expected to get high on the Cannabis in the chocolate, you’ll be disappointed. The only thing you’ll get a kick out of, is it’s sugar content.

Don’t catch the chairlift up to the top of Capri and expect it to last more than a few minutes. In true Disneyland style, the queues are longer than the ride.

Don’t gesticulate Italian style ( wildly) while holding a 2 litre bottle of water and admiring the steep drop in this view. It will quickly become part of the scenery.

Do visit the Villa San Michele - AxelMunthe at Anacapri. But then, don’t expect to be alone here either.

And at the end of the day, when you are approaching your beloved Positano weary, disheveled, hot and dirty, don’t assume that you won’t bump into anyone you know, as everyone should have gone home by then.

Rather do take time to straighten your appearance because the odds are on it that the whole town will be down at the main dock on your arrival that day to celebrate yet another religious Festival!

Hi Rafelia, You can buy a simple ferry ticket on the dock just before the boat leaves for 30 euros return. There are other cabins on the dock offering boat tours around the island as well but they are more expensive.You could book the day before for those. The entrance in the Blue Grotta is never included in the price either.